Industrial and craftworker methods are known of setting stones, especially glass crystals, in gold based metal alloys of different carat weight, which involve creating spaces in the resting surface that are adapted to receive the end portion of the stone.
Creating the spaces is expensive and complicated given the fact that exceptional precision work is required and it involves a high loss of metal due to mechanical working, with all the problems associated therewith, especially of economic nature.
Moreover, with regard to the positioning of stones on items of jewelry worn on the finger, wrist and neck, given the fact that the depth of the spaces is proportional to the size of the stone, not all crystals can be set in pieces of low thicknesses.
This obviously means that it is impossible to set medium to large stones in pieces of gold ware that are relatively “light”, i.e. having a weight of metal lower than 2-3 grams, and therefore it does not enable the manufacture of competitive items of jewelry.
The requirement to produce increasingly light gold ware, jewelry and silver ware products is particularly felt in the gold and silver smithing field, because of the continuing increase in the price of the base metal, which has more than doubled in recent years. Therefore a large market segment requires items of jewelry worn on the finger, wrist and neck, of low thickness so as to keep the price of product low.
In addition to this, nowadays customers are no longer content to have a few high-value pieces, but instead view articles of jewelry, gold ware and silver ware less as a safe asset and more as an accessory to go with what is being worn according to the occasion and circumstances.